BOTS Second Star Saga Old Empire Saga - Book One: Winter
by DaCosta Rosencraft
Summary: On December 21st, 2012, would-be revolutionaries seek to remove the current regime and reinstate the old Romanov aristocracy. It is now 2013, and the effects of the civil war are spreading across the globe. But is there a connection between Russia's war and the increasing cases of strange supernatural phenomenon, including what's being called Apathy Syndrome? Has the end come?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Apocalypse**

The world turns ceaselessly. In the events of day to day life, people tend to lose sight of this. For good reason. The monumental nature of the problems of the world are such that it's easy for one who is not close to it to lose sight of it. The world seems flat looking out at the horizon because the massive size of the planet renders the ability to perceive that contour null. The stars seem like they're just out of reach because it boggles the mind to think that the nearest beyond our own sun is unreachable less you have some years to spare and can catch a ride on a ray of light.

Our own personal problems can sometimes be more than we alone can handle. A relationship that is tested, finances is disarray, our own mortality, are all challenges that can overwhelm us to the point we give up on all else. And the threat of such matters arising and dominating our thoughts can be enough to blind us to the world around us.

Few things can be as monumental as the downfall of one of the largest nations on the planet. Even if you live beyond its borders, even if you know none who live within that nation's borders, the interconnectivity of the modern world allows a spillover. The ripples, the debris cloud, of a collapsing empire can bury others far away from it without them even realizing it's coming rolling in and washing over them.

For all the bluster and noise that can come from a collapse, they're usually not seen until it's too late. A tree rarely falls after everyone has already been warned it was about to happen. There are signs that can be seen if one looks close enough, but it's not that a tree can shoot off a warning signal saying, "Timber!" Part of the joy of surfing comes with riding on that wave and not knowing precisely when that break will come – when you will go from riding high on that wall of water, to being back down to earth.

Yet buildings don't usually collapse when they're full of people. They are usually identified ahead of time as being in danger of falling, everyone is evacuated, the building is cleared out, and a scheduled demolition is carried out. A bridge doesn't just suddenly fall. It's inspected and if defects are found then they either repair the bridge or replace it and get rid of the old one. When there is a tragedy and people are living in that building, or driving over that bridge, it's not because the signs of imminent collapse weren't there. It's because they were either ignored or discounted. The cracks were seen, the danger was known, but the people who should have been paying attention choose, for whatever reason, to suggest that it wasn't worth worrying about.

The tension in this bar was masked by the laughter, the occasional cheer, and smell of booze that accumulated from countless rounds passed out to these motley crew. With Christmas only four days away, and this happening to be Friday, the denizens of this bar who were lucky enough to have a job were freely frittering away their Christmas bonus on liquor. After all, this could have very well been their last night on earth if some superstitious lot of a different persuasion were right. They all knew, however, even if the rest of the world outside the doors of this bar and into the cold Russian winter night were unaware, this inconspicuous bar in Yekaterinburg would one day be famous – provided the world didn't end while they were trying to wash away their tension.

There was one man who didn't seem to be partaking in the merriment. He sat off in a corner by himself, drinking his warming drink as he watched the men and women here dance and sing with the grace of boars. He only looked on with a contented smile of sorts.

The door opened to the bar, a burst of cold air sweeping into the room before the door could be quickly be closed behind him. He brushed the light snow from his coat and flipped back the hood. His face revealed, the room erupted into loud cheering. Back slaps and the clacking of mugs was the sound that resounded around the room as the latest guest tried to make his way through the celebratory masses. He made it about the midpoint of the gathering, a woman forcing to him a mug while another large man threw his arm around him, calling the rest to listen for a moment.

"Damy i gospoda, seychas samoye vremya dlya nashey revolyutsii! Dlya materi Rossii! Da zdravstvuyet Romanovykh!" the large bearded man declared loudly in his baritone voice. The room burst into another large and boisterous cheer as the ones with drinks toasted, and the guys without grabbed the nearest girl without to dance a little jig. The latest arrival continued to work his way through the room, shaking hands and laughing jovially. Eventually he reached that corner where the single man sat alone. Having now greeted most everyone else in the bar he sat down with a dead-on-his-feet wallop in the chair beside this man. They glanced over at each other and then both started to laugh, as though having told a joke that no one else could hear.

"Daisuke Kamavirya, my friend, what is the good word?" the man who arrived moments ago asked of the man he sat beside.

"It's good to see you as well, Kariya. You've kept yourself well,"

"Living in this land requires one to be hearty. It's a sad thing to be faced with one's ultimate fate day after day,"

"You've gotta make the best of the time you have, eh Kariya? One might wonder what a member of the Duma is doing at a place like this,"

"That's former Duma member. But you're right Daisuke; it's our duty to ensure the future is bright, that tomorrow comes and it's better than the day before. That's why we're all here tonight,"

"Even so, we cannot well be reckless or we won't have a tomorrow,"

"On the way here tonight I heard a story of a man, was but four years of age in 1908 when the great light was seen in the skies above Krasnoyarsk Krai. Tonight, at 108 years of age, this man is at home with three generations of his family, looking forward to another Christmas together with that family. They don't have much, but they do have a pine tree that grows healthy in the yard, decorated every year by the younger generation. This night, as they stood outside to behold that tree decorated and lit, he again sees that light, thinking it is his maker come to lift him on high. Yet it is not, unless he's to believe his entire family was to be lifted up that time and by God's grace delivered a reprieve.

"A young man of his twenties went with his friends to the shores of Lake Baikal. They all work together in the same factory and just finished a long shift, part of a long year at work. They'd just found out that they aren't getting the Christmas bonus they were promised. All they feel they can do is take their sorrows to the waters and whistle away at the stars dreaming of something different for themselves in the year to come. They don't even have enough money to buy themselves a few beers, wanting to take what little they have home to their families to help make the forthcoming holiday a little brighter. As they sit a sight catches their eyes. They can hardly believe it, the legendary fairy of Lake Baikal skimming just above the surface of the waters.

"Tell me, Daisuke, what can these be if not signs that we should proceed upon the track on which we are on? Rest assured my friend, we are embarking on the correct path forward,"

"It's fine, I'm with you. It's too late to turn back now. All we can do is move forward as best we can,"

"How about Rosencraft? He make any progress?"

"Ah, DaCosta. That's what I really wanted to talk to you about. Looks like he's run into a wall. Seems he's hit a dead end at Kirijou Industries. He's trying to work around it,"

"We're countin' on 'im,"

"Don't worry about it. He'll find what you're looking for well before this is all over,"

"Hah ha hah, that's good, that's good news indeed. It wouldn't be good at all for this to end without the most important piece. It could even prove useful for favorably ending it,"

"Then everything's settled then?"

"Comrades!" Kariya called at the top of his voice, his mug raised in the air. The room started off with boisterous cheering, but soon quieted down to hear what he had to say.

"My vse znayem, pochemu my zdesʹ," he started. "YA budu derzhatʹ eto korotkim, druzʹya moi, kto ne odobryayet nashego dela, govoritʹ seychas. Nezavisimo ot vashikh somneniy, dayte nam znatʹ," he paused a moment, the room still silent. Kariya then continued.

"Togda my gotovy. Dlya imperskogo dney starykh i nashey slavnoy Rodiny! Damy i gospoda, eto nasha revolyutsiya! Dlya uspekha nashey novoy revolyutsii dekabrya!"

Again the room was filled with cheers, toasts, music, and dancing. There were even some who had tears in their eyes, and many hugging whoever was closest to them. Daisuke didn't know exactly what Kariya said, but from the scene the message translated well enough.

"I've gotta make a call," Kariya said to Daisuke as he headed for the door, holding up and shaking his cell phone.

"I'll be waiting to treat you to a drink," Daisuke shouted to him.

He wasn't sure if his friend heard him over the noise in the bar. Daisuke got up and walked to the bar, ordering a couple drinks. He glanced at a window and saw some snowflakes drifting down from the dark sky, illuminated by the storm light that hung from the roof overhang. For the nearly two years he'd been coming to this bar, Daisuke had not known a time when that broken storm light wasn't on, to the point one could almost consider it a natural design feature of the worn down place. It contrasted somewhat, yet kept entirely with the reality of a similar light outside the front door that flickered in a breeze anything above five miles per hour. Kariya stood under this light while he made his call, the noise of inside the bar still leaking out a little.

"Kirche," he said into the phone boisterously. "Good night Kirche. You sound well over there too. Everything is done. We can begin tonight,"

"That's outstanding," the woman on the other end replied. "You were able to meet with Daisuke then?"

"Yes. Things are progressing smoothly on his end, and our comrades here are fully prepared for what is to come,"

"This is an amazing milestone, Kariya,"

"No, it is only the beginning. The real hard work begins now,"

"Yes, you're right. The mission will start in three hours, as scheduled,"

"Good, we will prepare here for the next stage. If all goes well, our companies will meet up in three days. Spokoynoy nochi, Kirche. Talk to you in four hours,"

"Spokoynoy nochi, Kariya. I'll check in as scheduled,"

Kariya ended the call and slipped the phone back in his pocket. He looked up at the sky while blowing into his cold hands. The flurries continued to dance through the air, big and soft like bits of cotton. He turned back inside to get out of this cold and talk to some more of his friends. He knew it was likely he wouldn't be able to talk to many of them until the new year at the earliest. Over the next three days he would be travelling west to Omsk for that scheduled meeting with the woman Kirche. He'd be spending Christmas there. The day after, Kariya was planning to head back east for Perm. He was anticipating he'd be staying there for several days, past New Years. After that, it was a matter of taking stock of the landscape and deciding where to take himself from there.

Daisuke would be on the road to Moscow within an hour. He would be staying in a hotel there until his flight around ten o'clock in the morning local time. He would be heading home to Oshu, Iwate, Japan. He didn't have much of a role in the goings on with Kariya's business, but as a friend he was lending a hand. He was mainly just the go-between for Kariya and DaCosta Rosencraft at this point.

The beginning of the end of the world began this night. Few would realize it was so when they woke on December 22nd. Even into the New Year there was a powerful ignorance of the reality of the changes that were happening that would spell the end of the world as everyone knew it. And though the broader world did start to understand things were changing by March, they didn't fully understand by how much, or what those changes really meant. For most people the cadence of the world would continue as it always had. The changes happening around them might as well have been occurring in some distant corner of space. Many of those who realize the implications, they doubt the reality, expecting that all will resolve itself in due time and due course. Others see only futility in even attempting to change what seems to be fate.

The end of the world as seen from the eyes of people is much different than the literal implication of the words. The end of the world for people can in many ways come with the world itself, the earth, still spinning like a ceaseless top in space. The world can go on without humans, even if it becomes something like Mars – a mostly dry, barren, uninhabitable rock. That is why it can be hard to come to grips with the possibility of the end of the world. Something so big doesn't end easily. If it were to end, most expect it to be in a big and flashy way. They expect to see a firestorm. They fail to realize that firestorms start from nothing more than a single ember – that a great conflagration starts with nothing more than a spark. To think of it another way, the world is a fragile thing that can torn asunder by just that single spark, just that one ember, because it can turn into a raging inferno.

Will the world end in a loud roar, or on a soft whimper? Will it be in a bright flash, or a tiny puff of smoke? Dozens witness a bright flash in the skies above Krasnoyarsk Krai but hear no sounds like an impact or explosion. There are about a half dozen witnesses to what looks like the famous fairy of Lake Baikal, but only for a brief moment, and here too hearing no sound. It would seem then that the end of the world begins with both a bright flash and a soft whimper. The end of the world will advance at nearly a thousand miles an hour, or at more than sixty seven thousand miles an hour depending on your sense of time. That is why most can't see the end coming. No matter how quickly it comes, it comes faster than one can see in time to react. And yet so slow one can barely perceive it with any of the senses.

The apocalypse can be a terrifying thing. Death no matter its time or form can be a maddening prospect to reconcile. No matter the preparations one makes, the potency is lifted only so much. And still the universe will continue long into the future. Life will surely exist somewhere else at some time, and that life too will at some point contemplate these very concepts. And such the cycle will continue in virtual perpetuity. Some will be ignorant of that cycle, blind to the changes in the world and unable to see the world spinning with their own eyes. Some will see and still not think on it. Still there are those who will be aware, who will know, and who will fight that change. Even still, there are those who will work as hard as they can to usher in those changes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A New Year**

A new year is a refreshing thing. It can offer a feeling of a new beginning. Things left undone, things left unsaid, experiences that were not had; people greet the New Year with machinations of fulfilling the unfinished business of the year gone by in the year that is to come. Though time is relative, and these changes in the calendar hold only as much meaning as is placed on them, they are an intrinsic part of the human condition, a profound mark of humanity that has been indelibly marked on history for as long as records can be traced. No matter the era, the civilization, there has always been a means of demarcating time, and born from this is the celebration, either through reflection and introspection or optimism and forethought.

Children are in a way blessed by this feeling. That is because they get to experience it twice a year. For a child of school age this feeling comes not once on the calendar, but twice. Not just when December turns to January, but when a new school year begins. In many ways this can be more profound for a child than the calendar year changing. While a calendar year may change, that feeling of something new being upon you is somewhat diluted by the steadiness of reality. The world doesn't stop spinning, so even if the year changes, it doesn't necessarily mean anything of consequence will be different if you go to sleep on December 31st and wake up January 1st. For adults it means little more than a time to set finances in order for the last or next year.

But things change for children in school every time the school year starts up. Depending on the school things can even feel like a new year from one term to the next. The classroom changes, you're surrounded by new faces, you have a new face standing in front of the room. Regardless of when your birthday is or how far away the new calendar year is, for a kid in school you don't really feel you've gotten any older until the day that you officially begin your next grade.

Children are also blessed by the burden of youth. A friend moves away. For a kid this seems like the end of the world. They don't know when or if they'll ever see that friend. They usually have no control over these events. Children have loose grasps of the world and usually very, very little ability to influence what happens in it. So even if somewhat cognizant of events, they don't generally pay them particularly strong heed. It usually doesn't affect them, and they usually can't affect it, so it isn't apt to dwell on their minds. Often the largest thing so far as a problem to strike a kid is an unsuccessful or unrequited love, or some kind of family issue. It is usually the kind of thing which impacts a relative few people. It's not to diminish the levity of these matters on a child's life, or to deny that there is the possibility that a child can rise above this, but to recognize that there is a difference due to the relative limited powers of a child to affect their world compared to an adult. Right or wrong, this is reality.

People like Amy Sanuzaki know this in part. She knew that there were things she was both capable and incapable of doing. She knew there were things for which the question of whether or not she could do them was a limit of her will to try. She knew there were things she knew little about, and cared little that she knew little of them. The knowledge of the world was not terribly critical for her. She accepted that the societal system as it existed had in place the means for her to learn all she needed, so she operated according to that system; an ordinary person aspiring to little else but an ordinary life.

People like Anastasia Kurae understood as well. For understanding this she is both fortunate and blessed. For this she is both unlucky and cursed. It is the hope of most parents who are concerned of their child's happiness that their children not know this harsh reality, that they not worry about it. Some children, like Anastasia, are both fortunate and unfortunate. They don't greet the world wholly ignorant of its truths and realities, but in so are denied the true joy of childhood that comes with carelessly being unaware of the harshness of the world. A period of ignorance as one is given the tools to fight the harsh world is what most of us are afforded. Not so that we are thrust at reality knowing nothing, but that we have the chance to know what peace and carefree life is, so that we can strive to recreate that for the world when we grow older. She didn't necessarily pursue anything extraordinary for her life, but was curious enough to ask the many questions that are there to be asked, even if sometimes struggling with whether to tackle those questions or not.

Amy looked up to Anastasia. It wasn't a matter of the macro societal thought processes discussed earlier. A larger assumption cannot be made to suggest even that this is a common refrain between the enlightened and the less enlightened – though it does often happen that the two sides are at loggerheads. Amy simply thought Anastasia was cool. She was a first year student in high school when the year began, Anastasia in her second. From day one Amy was an average student arriving at a rather average school and looking forward to an average time of high school. She saw Anastasia walking to school that first day.

"Is she really a student here?" Amy asked, standing in the shade of a tree that morning, beside her friend.

"Oh, you mean the Empress? Yeah, hard ta believe, huh?" Amy's friend replied. This was Yukari Shindo. She is one year older than Amy. The two first met in middle school, slightly rare for individuals who are a grade apart. Yukari is the aloof type. She doesn't get too excited about anything really, although she tends to know about everything that is being said around the school. At the moment, however, she was entertaining herself by playing with a stray cat that wandered onto the school grounds.

"You hardly see that type nowadays," Yukari added.

"What type?" Amy asked, not looking away from Anastasia. "And try not to sound like such an old lady,"

"You know, that type," Yukari repeated, offering no clarification, mainly because she offered little attention. The cat she was playing with jumped from her arms and ran off. That distraction gone, Yukari refocused on Amy.

"It's hard to describe. Sorta like she's really inspirational and makes you wanna be like her, but also scares you ta death? Those types,"

"I don't think…"

"Come on, we've gotta get to class soon," Yukari said, jogging towards the door to the school.

"Do you not like her or somethin'?" Amy asked, jogging after her friend.

"I wouldn't say that. I don't really know her all that well. It's just that… something about her is scary. All I was doin' was standing near her. You start gettin' a feelin' like you'll drown or something,"

"That's…"

"I know you won't believe me. It's not like she'll say anything mean or soemthin'. It's just a feelin'. But I guess you could end up like the others,"

"Others?"

"Yeah. Most people are afraid to be near her. But then there's the others who practically fall in love with her. I'm not talkin' about just guys either. There's a bunch of girls who follow her 'round religiously. You should stay away from those ones 'cause they're a little crazy,"

"That's a terrible thing to say,"

"Don't say I didn't warn you,"

The two girls made plans to meet up later and then went on to their respective classrooms. The school was by no means a small one. It was located in a large city, after all. There were close to one thousand students in this school, divided into the three grade levels. For the first year students, the new student orientation was set to begin after the extended homeroom. The homeroom would allow the students to meet their classmates, meet their homeroom teacher, and start with some of the housekeeping matters, such as the forthcoming selections of class officers and thinking about whether or not they will join any of the afterschool clubs, or perhaps even vie for student council.

Amy didn't have a particular talent to take advantage of. She didn't think her personality quite right for something like a class officer or the student government. She wasn't very athletic, and hadn't participated in any sports in junior high, so a sports team was the last thing on her mind. When it comes to some other interest for which there was a club in existence, she had none in mind. After the orientation the rest of the day was supposed to be for the first year students to look around the campus, familiarize themselves with the location of everything, and check out the presentations by the various clubs.

For the second and third year students there wasn't much to do after the extended homeroom. If you were a member of the student council you were helping prepare the orientation since homeroom started that morning, and would be having a regular student council meeting that afternoon once the orientation was done. If you were a part of a sports team or other afterschool club you stuck around with your club for the presentations and recruitment, which carried on after school all week.

Before the rest of that stuff was the new student orientation. It was an assembly of all of the first years in the gymnasium where the principal, one of the teachers, the student council president, and the first year representative – the student with the highest marks on the entry exams – would give speeches and words of encouragement for the upcoming year.

After homeroom Amy went to the restroom before heading to the gym. Unfortunately she didn't know the school all too well after spending only a bit of time between standing with her friend outside and sitting in a classroom. In short, she got herself a little lost. She started heading in the direction she thought the gym was supposed to be. By this time the halls were empty, the first years either already in the gym, or the juniors and seniors mostly still in homeroom. She wasn't paying particularly close attention to where she was going as she looked about for some kind of confirmation that she was at the right place, or at least heading in the right direction.

Amy bumped into someone, causing the papers they were carrying to spill to the floor. She apologized profusely as she tried to gather up the sheets.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't paying enough attention myself anyway," the person replied to Amy. Her voice was rather low and soft. Amy felt a slight feeling like her heart sinking when she heard the person speak, but not for any reason she could nail down right that moment.

"Th-That's very kind of you to say," Amy said as she gathered the last paper. This was when she finally got a look at the person she bumped into. In a somewhat predictable turn of events, the person she bumped into was the very person much of her morning was sent considering so far.

"Are you a first year student? You should be in the gym by now," Anastasia said to Amy as she received the gathered papers from her.

"Y-you're Anastasia Kurae," Amy gasped.

"Have we met before?"

"N-No, it's just that… I have a friend who goes here, and we saw you come to school this morning, so…"

"Oh, then it's nice to meet you as well…"

"My name is Amy Sanuzaki. It's really nice to meet you,"

"Thank you. You were lost, weren't you? I'll show you the way to the gym," Anastasia offered, turning off in the direction she had been taking before.

"Uh, n-n-no…" Amy stammered.

"You weren't lost?" Anastasia asked, turning her head to look back at Amy.

"That's not it, what I meant was… umm, that I didn't want to keep you back. I mean, you're important to the orientation and everything, so it would be bad for me to make you late too," Amy said bashfully, slowly choosing her words carefully.

"They'll get by just fine without me. Besides, if we're going the same way it wouldn't make sense to just leave you behind here. So come with me before we're really late," Anastasia assured, reaching out her free hand.

"Th-thank you very much,"

Amy was a bundle of nerves as she followed behind Anastasia. She felt she could understand a little of what Yukari had told her, the dual feeling of fear and admiration that emanated off of Anastasia. She was nice enough, and didn't seem agitated at all, but something about her seemed… sharp. It was like standing in a kitchen full of knives. Each knife is sharp and deadly, but they only sit there doing nothing until wielded against you. That was what Amy felt like – standing in a kitchen filled with sharp knives that could easily be used to create a delicious meal or commit a horrible murder. As someone who did love to cook, Amy felt a certain kind of mixed awe and fear in knowing that a knife handled with care could create something wonderful, and handled recklessly could kill or maim. It was hard for her to really visualize the kill and maim part, but that feeling was still there.

It all combined to put Amy in a soupy malaise as she bashfully walked behind Anastasia. It was a bit ridiculous how easily she'd been overcome by meeting Anastasia, as if this girl was some kind of movie star or pop idol. Amy barely heard Anastasia ask her a question as they were walking.

"… like it here so far?"

"Oh, uhm, yes. My friend, Yukari Shindo, is a second year. She told me a lot about this school, so I decided to come here on her recommendation,"

"Yukari Shindo…" Anastasia pondered aloud. "She was a volunteer with the festival committee last year I believe,"

"Wow! You actually remembered her? I think she'll be happy about that,"

"It's not really that special. It's just that I tend to remember people easily. Anyway, here we are. I hope you enjoy your time at this school,"

"Th-thank you," Amy replied, amazed still by this young woman who was only one year her senior.

Amy was so star struck she didn't even think about whether or not she was late, which she wasn't. Her spot in the crowd was a little bit ahead of mid-way to the front – not especially close, but not in the back either. She was eagerly anticipating to hear what Anastasia would say in front of the gathering of excited young men and women beginning their endeavors through this high school. She was imagining what kind of amazing, inspirational, speech was going to be given. Amy even started mentally kicking herself for not thinking to try to read something off the papers she helped Anastasia pick up.

Amy was on the edge of her seat the entire orientation, cheerfully singing along to the school's song. She listened intently for the announcement of the beginning of the student council as the next speakers. She clapped her hands excitedly along with the rest of the students when the speaker came up. And Amy was disappointed, because when she looked at the person who walked across the stage and stood before the group, it wasn't Anastasia. It wasn't at all anyone she knew. It's hard to say if that speaks badly for either her or that young woman, but it was simply a matter of fact that she didn't know this person. She had been so eagerly anticipating Anastasia that she hadn't heard the full introduction of this young woman, Mayumi Saegusa.

Her enthusiasm dashed, Amy didn't pay nearly as much attention as she had previously. It wasn't so much that she was ignoring the rest of the speakers. She simply didn't have the same kind of attentiveness to hang on every word.

"So you met her like that," Yukari asked, picking her juice out of the dispenser of a vending machine by one of the doors out of the school. It was now the technical end of the day, the time on this first day for perusing the displays for the various clubs.

"It must've been my fault. She must secretly hate me…"

"I can tell you it's not anything you did,"

"You're just trying to make me feel better, aren't you?"

"Not really. You just made the same mistake everyone does. There was never a chance she would be making the speech,"

"Why not?"

"She's not the president," Yukari stated directly as she opened her juice and took a small drink.

"Ehh? Didn't you tell me she was the president?"

"I told you she was part of the student council. Did you think I wouldn't tell you directly if she was the president?"

"N-no… but then…"

"She's the treasurer,"

"The… treasurer?" Amy asked in aghast disbelief.

"Last year people walked around all the time thinking she was the student council president. It started right after the election,"

"Was it close?"

"Not really, especially since she didn't even run in the first place. You only vote on the president here, and the president picks the rest of the executive committee. Even so, everyone seems to forget the moment they see her that she's only the treasurer. It's not like they forget Mayumi. They know her as the president too, and call her president, but it's like everyone remembers two presidents,"

"That doesn't really make a lot of sense," Amy replied with a sense of disbelief.

"You'll get used to it," Yukari replied, the exhaustion in her voice as though she expended considerable energy on the brief tale a moment ago. Or perhaps it was over having told that same story so many times in the past to other people.

"I'm glad I didn't say anything stupid to her," Amy sighed, following beside her friend.

"I'd say bumping into her and then zoning out while she was supposed to show you to the gym is plenty embarrassing,"

"That was so horrible," Amy bemoaned, feeling bad about it all over again.

"Forget it. Let's go look at some clubs,"

Amy and Yukari walked around for a half hour. They took a break for lunch, their own packed lunchboxes, and then went back to exploring the various assembled clubs, as well as Yukari offering a little tour of the school to Amy along the way. So far nothing seemed to jump out to Amy as an interesting club. The only real talent she had that interested her was cooking, but it wasn't necessarily something that she wanted to spend her afternoons after school doing, especially as she sometimes prepared dinner for her family.

"Is there any place we haven't been to yet?" Amy asked after they left one more club.

"There is, but…" Yukari started to answer, seeming very conflicted about answering that question straight.

"Huh?"

"Well, there is one, but I don't think you'd be all that interested since it's technically a sports team,"

"You're being kinda weird now you know. Haven't we already looked at all the sports teams anyway? What's this one?"

"Eh… well, just to warn ya, it's gonna be kinda crowded,"

"Whaddya mean?"

"Let's go," Yukari sighed.

It was the second time that day Amy found herself without words. She wasn't sure what was going on when her and Yukari went back around to the rear of the school. They passed through there earlier looking at the other sports teams. There was a structure towards the back end, near the end of the school grounds and butting up against a lightly wooded area. It was very quiet over here. There was one small noise though. It was a hard sound for Amy to describe in her mind. It was a sharp sound, yet dull at the same time. Sort of like a strong wind running into a wall.

Yukari slowly and quietly opened the door, hushing Amy behind her to be certain they made no sound. As Yukari warned, the place was crowded. Amy didn't quite understand what this place was. There was definitely a slight breeze, like they were still outside. There were too many people here to be able to see the front of the room, but looking over their heads Amy could see that the wall was open and that there was a trussed overhang of the roof. As she tried to comprehend what it was that this club was, she heard that sound again. It was a little louder now than when they were outside the room. A hushed flurry of comments raced about the room, as everyone seemed to start clapping.

"Alright, alright, everyone," someone at the front of the room called out to everyone in the room. "That's it for today's demonstration. Please come back with a form to be stamped if you're interested in joining. Tell your friends we'll have another demonstration tomorrow afternoon,"

The room began to thin out as other students that had so congested the narrow room started filing their way back out. Amy and Yukari move aside to stay in the room. It was mostly for Amy's sake so that she could get a glimpse of what this place was.

"Awesome again, Ana," the voice that dispersed the crowd was the source of the congratulations.

"Thank you, captain," Anastasia replied softly.

"Ah!" Amy gasped, much louder than she realized, and completely involuntarily. She immediately felt embarrassed, it not being her intent to do something to draw attention.

"Ah, Yukari. You thinkin' of joining?" the MC called out as Yukari was walking her direction.

"Not a chance. I'm just giving my friend here a tour on her first day,"

"We meet again, Ms. Sanuzaki. Ms. Shindo, it's also a pleasure," Anastasia greeted.

"M-M-Ms. Kurae, it-it's nice to see you again," Amy fumbled to greet her increasingly idolized senior.

"It's very cute, but you don't have to be so nervous," the MC said, throwing her arm over Anastasia's shoulder. "She's not gonna bite,"

"A-ah, no… um…" Amy fumbled even more, not sure how to respond to that.

"Forgive Tania's exuberance. She's just excited for this first day of the term," Anastasia giggled. "I can understand how hard it must be getting used to a new school. Take your time and I'm sure you'll be settled in very soon,"

"Thank you very much," Amy said with a star struck adoration.

"Nice to meet ya! I'm Tania Otome, club president," the MC introduced with unyielding exuberance. "Seems like you've met Ana already. You can count on her for just about anything. She can teach you everything you need to get started with our club. After all, she's…"

"Tania, you can cut the pitch," Yukari interrupted. "Like I'd let Amy join with you people here. We've got a club already,"

"Eh? That so?" Tania questioned, not buying the obvious lie. "You're a terrible liar, Yukari,"

"Anyway, we've got get going," Yukari defiantly stated, grabbing hold of Amy's hand and starting away with her.

"It seems she's run away from you again," Anastasia teased her friend.

"That Yukari… she really can't help herself," Tania sighed.

She and Anastasia were soon joined by other members of the archery club, returning from handing out fliers. They started to clean up for the day and get ready to do it all again tomorrow afternoon.

Amy and Yukari were on their way home now. Yukari hadn't answered Amy's question of why they left so suddenly and why the lie to Tania. Yukari hadn't even let go of Amy's hand until they were out the front gates of the school. Amy was a little upset with Yukari, feeling as though her image in front of Anastasia had suffered somewhat further by the abrupt departure. Nevertheless it didn't take long for Amy to start swooning on about Anastasia more.

But it could only last for an eternal ten minutes before Amy and Yukari had to split up. Their ways home diverged here, going in opposite directions. Furthermore Amy had to stop by the supermarket to pick up some stuff for dinner.

Amy's food run didn't take very long, only fifteen minutes or so. She was humming along pleasantly on her way home the first track of an album she'd only borrowed from Yukari a few days earlier. It had been stuck in her head practically sense then, and she often started humming it when she was lost in abstract thought.

"Do you like your friend?" a woman asked Amy. Amy didn't see the woman.

"What is this?" Amy asked. Her tone of voice became serious as she spoke softly. The woman was behind her, but Amy didn't turn around. She could feel a cold piece of metal pressed against her back.

"I was curious…" the woman continued. Her voice was also low, but had a bit higher pitch to it than Amy's, negating what otherwise should have been a somber tone.

"Curious?" Amy asked, glancing around without turning her head from straight forward. She was looking to see if there were any other people around, seeing none on the streets.

"You and your friend seemed to get along very well. You seemed to be fitting in well at that school. Why not live a life like that instead of this one?"

"That's a pretty stupid question," Amy answered, her entire pattern of speech now quite different from the one she used all day at school.

"Is it the money? Or did they promise you power?" the woman asked.

"You've gotta think I'm some naïve little kid, dontcha?"

"No, not at all. I just think it's sad that things turned out this way. You have so many other choices, why get involved in something like this where you can lose your life?"

"Don't underestimate me!" Amy shouted.

For the second time in a week there was a ceremony in the school's gymnasium. There was another gathering of the students, this one involving the entire student body, not just the freshmen. This, however, was not the joyous occasion that was the new student orientation ceremony. This was a time of mourning. The school decided it would honor the tragic loss of one of its students.

The day would end early, like it had with the previous ceremony. But there were no club activities today, or club demonstrations for recruitment. Such things were obviously inappropriate at this time.

After the ceremony the glum faces of the students grayed out what was otherwise a clear, sunny day. Even though the vast majority of the students didn't even know the person personally whom they were mourning, the circumstance was that jarring and unbelievable. It served a rather cruel reminder of the fragility of their own lives that someone their own age would die so suddenly at what should have been one of the happiest moments of their life. The flowers all the students wore on their chest were a symbol too of this.

"Ana, you doing okay?" Tania asked as she met her friend outside the gym one the ceremony was over.

"I'm fine. It was just a little shocking, that's all," Anastasia answered, though her somewhat weary expression painted a different picture to her words.

"Ana, it's okay if you want to take some time off from the council," President Saegusa said, placing a comforting hand on Anastasia's shoulder. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard,"

"Thanks, but really, I'm fine. I'm more worried about Ms. Yukari. Have you heard anything from her?" Anastasia asked, turning to Tania.

"Uhm, I tried calling yesterday, but her mom said that she's pretty much locked herself in her room since she found out. She's taking this really hard right now," Tania replied, sounding almost as if she herself might soon start crying.

"That's understandable," Saegusa remarked. "They were so close after all,"

"It did seem like they were very close to one another," Anastasia agreed solemnly. "It's not so hard to imagine how heartbroken she must be right now,"

"Tch, what a waste of time," some other student was saying not too far away as they walked away from the gym. "Like I'm supposed to care what happens to someone I ain't even know,"

"At least we get off early," his buddy joked with him.

The two seemed to be freshmen students. They didn't seem to care very much that their words were being heard by others around them. Some of the other students were whispering to one another, many seeming to be put off by the callous remarks, but not inclined to confront the two young men. Anastasia, however, seemed to be particularly incensed and started towards the two boys. She raised her hand as if to strike them, but before she could bring her hand back down, someone grabbed it. She turned around to look at who it was, at first angry that she was being stopped, but quickly calming down as she saw who it was.

"You shouldn't, Ms. Kurae," the woman who stopped Anastasia said. "Please leave matters like this to me,"

"Y-Yes, Ms. Lavolpe," Anastasia accepted, backing down.

This person, Ms. Yagisaka Lavolpe, is a teacher. She is a woman with light purple hair and blue eyes. Her hair is particularly noticeable as it is fairly short all around except for long side locks and single long ponytail down the full length of her back. She was a new teacher to the school this year.

Anastasia took a deep breath to settle herself as Ms. Lavolpe took the two boys away, presumably to harshly scold them for their callousness while so many were grieving. Mayumi and Tania rejoined Anastasia.

"Those damn jerks… those kinds really piss me off," Tania jeered.

"Isn't she your homeroom teacher?" Mayumi asked.

"Ms. Lavolpe… she's rather impressive. Everyone seems to like her," Anastasia said with a contented smile. "It's reassuring to have someone like her around,"

"I've heard that a member of the school's board recommended her. It is nice to have someone like her to count on at times like this," Mayumi added.

"Perhaps it's better that Ms. Shindo isn't here to listen to such terrible things," Anastasia reflected with some anger still in her voice.

"It's still hard to believe. For Amy to be in a hit-and-run accident… are they still looking for the driver?" Tania asked.

"Yes. It seems the car was stolen earlier in the day, and whoever was driving ran away from the scene. The police are still searching for clues, but at this point they don't seem to be very confident they'll find the person responsible," Mayumi answered.

"Unforgivable," Anastasia grumbled under her breath, clenching her fists. It's so cowardly…"

The new term began with a bitter feeling. In this way, the feeling of renewal that comes with the beginning of a new school year was dashed for these youngsters. Reality shattered their illusion of invincibility that comes with being young. Even so, they picked up those fragments; some out of a determination to not let this event define their future, others simply out of the belief that it somehow would not happen to them.

Nevertheless they must move forward, one way or another. The world doesn't stop spinning for our sakes no matter how emotional a tragedy may be for us. Those who don't keep up with the shifting planet face subduction at the convergence of the past and the future.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Flanked**

Time is relative because of the fact that the world rotates at the speed it does, revolves at the speed it does. The revolution of the planet demarcates the days, the revolution around the sun demarcates the years. Then what is time if one were to stay locked facing the sun not once moving from their spot? What is time for one who races around the sun multiple times faster than the earth does? Questions of time on a macro level are difficult precisely because we cannot comprehend easily the interplay of time on the world, let alone ourselves, at that scale. We perceive time at a much smaller scale. We are slaves to our watches, clocks, calendars. We even risk our lives to save only a moment's worth of time, despite the risk of ending our ability to conceive anything at all, let alone time.

The passage of a month can be quick, or it can be slow. In the wake of the tragedy a month ago, for Anastasia and her classmates, time passed quickly enough to numb some of the pain, but slowly enough that they had not the opportunity to forget. Yet these days you heard less and less mention of the incident.

Yukari had returned to school recently too. Amy was her best friend. They were practically like sisters, so it struck her fairly hard when she passed. Yukari had stayed at home in mourning that entire time. While she very well could have allowed herself to become a shut in, abandon the outside world, and bury herself in grief and sadness while she lost herself in a fantasy world of some kind or another, she made a different choice. It took some time to arrive at that choice, but Yukari decided it did nothing for her friend's memory to practice the futility of hiding from the advance of time. She decided to work herself past her sadness and live her life, as difficult as that sometimes seemed. This wound too, time will heal.

But with the passing month, there was something else that came along to distract attention and thoughts from that tragedy. Life goes on, you see. And while moments like Amy's death warrant appropriate attention and remorse, much smaller events can take hold of one's life.

"A job?" Tania bewilderedly asked. She was walking with Anastasia to the clubhouse after school one day in May.

"Yes," Anastasia answered. "While we were still a private school there's no way I could've, but since we're a public school now they've lightened up a little on the rules,"

"I don't get it; why do you need a job?" Tania glumly restated.

"I can't keep relying so much on my aunt and uncle. They already pay for my school, my food, my clothes, and everything else. I want to at least earn a little of my own money,"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're a little crazy. Archery, student council, and now you wanna get a job? How in the world you got the time for all that?"

"It's not so bad," Anastasia lightly laughed. "It's not like I'm trying to get a full-time job. There's a quiet little restaurant on the way home that has an opening. I go there sometimes, and they have an opening, so I'd like to give it a try,"

"Hmm, well, it's not like we have practice every day… look at me actin' like your mom or soemthin'. Well, I'll be glad to help out if you need it,"

"Thanks, Tania,"

As Anastasia and Tania were arriving at the clubhouse, they saw a man walking out. He was a man of average height with short cut black hair under a fedora. He was bowing his way out the clubhouse. The girls greeted him with a bow as he passed by, catching a glimpse of his face. He looked to be around middle aged – an older face though yet with wrinkles.

The man walked past the girls, bowing slightly and tipping his hat to them on his way. The man clearly looked like a police officer, which wasn't entirely wrong.

He walked briskly back to the front of the school. Outside the gates, parked alongside the street, were a number of cars. Waiting in most of these cars were chauffeurs. This school, Ryusei Public High School, was once Ryusei Private Academy. It used to be an all-girl private school, but a couple years ago it was changed to a regular public school. Even so, the male population at the school measured only in the neighborhood of ten percent even now. Because it was a private school, however, the majority of the school's population was of means. A lot of the students here have very wealthy families who are mavens of industry or inheritors of wealth from this and nearby cities, so it didn't make for a strange sight that some would be specially picked up at the end of the school day.

One car in particular had a young man standing beside it, tapping away on the roof. He wasn't waiting for a student to take home, but the man who had passed by the archery club. The younger one seemed to be grooving along to a tune in his head as he glanced around at the girls leaving school.

"How many times do I gotta tell you…" the older man said before smacking the younger one in the back of the head. "…Not to hit my car?"

"S-sorry boss," the younger one apologized as his senior walked over to the driver's side and got in. He quickly got in on the passenger side.

"You get anything, Andino?" the older asked as he started driving off, accelerating off fairly quickly.

"N-No boss. Looks like no one knew much about her; to be expected really since she was only here a day. Seems the best friend hadn't been to her house in over a year,"

"You mean that safe house?"

"Yeah, that one. I don't know boss, seems like the friend was really broken up about it. I don't think she knew anything about what was going on,"

"I figured as much. Not exactly something you go about tellin' everybody," the boss stated matter-of-factly.

"What now boss? We still don't know who her contract was on," Andino asked, aloofly staring up as thought trying to look through the car's solid roof. "I mean, a teenager as a hitman who gets run over in a hit-n-run? That's not really a common coincidence,"

"There's no such thing as coincidence, Andino. Everything happens for a reason,"

"Right, gotcha boss,"

"We'll have to find another way,"

This duo was Theodore Rush and Robert Andino. They were both special agents with the United States Central Intelligence Agency, one more senior than the other. Seeing as this was Okinawa, it didn't exactly make for an odd sight to see a couple of Americans about, though this was only the third time combined they'd ever been here.

Their presence here was clearly not a matter of a vacation. They were steeped in an investigation, though as their conversation suggested it wasn't going particularly well at the moment. They had no leads to work with. That wasn't going to be acceptable for Rush, the type who never gave up on anything in life. He could sometimes ask for the impossible, but in general it was his tact to push for answers until he got them.

"What've we got so far," Rush asked his younger protégé after they got back to the naval station – their temporary headquarters during this particular mission.

"Let's see," Andino said as he flipped through his notes. "Amy Sanuzaki, age sixteen. Her parents were of mixed descent. Her father was born in Vietnam, moved to the U.S when he was in his twenties. Her mother was born in Japan, moved to Russia when she was a kid, and moved back her to Japan when she was also in her twenties. They met when he was here on vacation, yada, yada, yada… they died in Vietnam when Amy was six. Turns out her old man borrowed some money from a triad. When he couldn't pay, they killed him 'n his wife. Amy got picked up as a runner for them, carrying their goods around and whatnot; might've even been used as a sex slave at one point.

"She learned to fire a gun and they started using her for some low-level hits. Her triad gets swallowed up by Inferno later on, and she becomes a sweeper in training. Her trail goes cold about the time that syndicate got wiped out.

"We get the tip two months ago that Amy shows up here in Japan where she's apparently been a regular student for a few years, just about ready to start high school, but that she's still working as an assassin and has a contract out on someone. We come to find out, just as we're putting our case together, that she gets hit by a car on her way home from school the very first day and dies. The car was apparently stolen, and the driver wasn't seen by anyone,"

"What about the owner's alibi?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, that checked out. The owner works in an office downtown. He doesn't even drive the car most days because of traffic. Anyway, he was in a meeting that day. More than a dozen people saw him there the time of the hit-n-run,"

"Family? Friends?"

"Lives alone, not married. He has a girlfriend who works for the city but, like I said, lives alone. Uh, friends… he's got a few, but nothing special about them. Mostly buddies from work, old friends from school who live out of the city; nothing that really sticks out,"

"Enemies?"

"Not that we know of. He's a pretty forgettable guy. Even so boss, I mean, whoever did this didn't leave any fingerprints, no DNA, no one saw them run, and this is after runnin' into someone on the street and the car flyin' into a pole. You gotta be talkin' a professional hit, and he doesn't seem like the kinda guy who could stomach involvement in something like that,"

"We'll keep an eye on 'im anyway," Rush said as he took a gulp of his coffee.

"Alright, well, that covers everything we've got on Mr. Hirako. The girlfriend I mentioned, she's pretty much in the clear too since she was in Tokyo,"

"Forensics,"

"No fingerprints, no blood on the car – other than Amy's of course. They weren't able to make any conclusive findings, but the unofficial reports indicated they didn't find any tampering with the door lock or ignition, so really we don't even know how the car moved in the first place. Parked cars don't just move about, but no luck there since the car's too damaged to get any useable evidence from,"

"So it's back to Inferno,"

"Looks like it, boss,"

There was a small gang that once started up in the United States. They formed on the west coast, peddling in mainly minor stuff. But through determination and resilience, not to mention advantageous circumstances of the times, that gang that started out as a group of street thugs, developed into an organized group.

That group branched out from petty thievery and into more lucrative theft rings. They started to get involved in gambling in the casinos of Las Vegas, smuggling across the southern border, illegal arms sales, and more. Soon this small gang got quite large and began to swallow other smaller gangs into its wings. They began to spread from their small area or influence in California and Nevada and took to organizing disparate and inefficient gangs further eastward. Soon this organized crime group took on the new name of Inferno.

Inferno's reach did not stay domestically. They first expanded into Mexico where they had early roots from the fencing of stolen goods and from smuggling and drug trafficking. They reached further into Central and South America to expand their drug and guns trade. Through their money laundering activities, Inferno began to deal in places like Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia – places that which may not have a reputation for money laundering. Once there they expanded their weapons trade and got into the business of human trafficking.

From their foothold in Southeast Asia, Inferno tried to gain broader influence. However, they met resistance from longer established Triads and Yakuza syndicates. Even so, Inferno gained modest footing, and used that to expand into central Asia, then towards the Arabian Peninsula. In a few short years, Inferno became an international crime syndicate; one of the largest in history. In the underworld it was virtually understood that if anything happened, Inferno was probably somehow involved. Yet Inferno never seemed to be a part of the public consciousness. Its name never made the news in connection with its activities, escaping much in the way of legal repercussions.

Inferno became known for its elite teams of Sweepers. Known as the Numbers, each was given a number as their name. Although not known in detail, the underworld had a rumor that a very arduous test was given to potential Sweepers to deem their suitability to become a Number. Literally, only the survivors were said to become Numbers. Furthermore, the top assassin in Inferno, the top among all the numbers, was given the name of Phantom of Inferno. They were supposedly a Sweeper of such skill and deadly efficiency, that they swept down on targets like a phantom, killing them and escaping without leaving a single trace.

"Even though they're gone," Andino added.

"There's still traces of them out there," Rush stated with certainty. "Even if the organization's collapsed, it's not like their people all just vanished from the face of the planet,"

"I guess so, otherwise Amy wouldn't be a problem right now," Andino shrugged.

"Come on, let's go Andino," Rush said, standing up and grabbing the car keys off the table.

"Where're we goin' boss?" Andino asked, trying to keep up with Rush's quick pace.

"See an old friend," Rush replied.

At some point, organizations, particularly criminal organizations, face a conflict of talent. That is to say, when one gains ability equal to or greater than the ones in charge, the invariable question comes to this; why am I where I am?

One of the many illicit activities Inferno got involved in was human trafficking. But this wasn't for the purpose of making money. It was a secondary effect. Inferno often found young, poor, kids on the streets. They would use these kids to do odd jobs, or if they showed talent to teach them how to do other more important tasks. In particular Inferno had the practice of raising young kids to be "perfect" assassins. The numbers, Phantom, were all such kids – orphans or might-as-well-be orphans, left on the streets with little or no hope, brought in to the organization and taught how to kill.

Amy Sanuzaki was the same. Amy's father was in debt to a triad. When he couldn't pay, he and his wife were killed. That triad was in debt to Inferno. While the triad's thugs were killing Amy's parents, a pair of Numbers was killing the triad thugs. Amy was overlooked by the triad. An angry and confused Amy attacked the numbers. Their supervisor saw this and decided that instead of killing Amy, she would be trained as an assassin.

But then Inferno collapsed.

Inferno took its name from the fact that it spawned and grew so quickly, like a small ember that raced into firestorm overnight. But they went out just as suddenly, as if that fire was quickly starved of oxygen. Inferno was doused by a confluence of factors.

To begin with, the fertile land from which they grew was quickly becoming not-so fertile. The changing political landscape affected by public pressure was driving more serious action in response to crime of all kinds, making it more difficult for Inferno to operate with impunity as they were accustomed. Some of their political connections were out of office, and in general their avenues of influence were under more scrutiny.

This issue was exacerbated by internal divisions. Various arms of the organization conflicted with each other and tried to assert supremacy over the others. This led to an incident in which Phantom was accused of working deliberately towards destroying the organization. Phantom ended up going rogue, the organization expending a lot of energy, time, and resources trying to silence Phantom and clean up the mess created by Phantom's exit.

This led to more stresses on the international framework, some parts beginning to act on their own, irrespective of Inferno central's orders. Another of their assassins, the would-be successor to Phantom, given the title of Inferno to represent they were the power of Inferno itself, tried to leave the organization. Once again, the organization tried to reign in that loose assassin. Things ended worse than before this time. When everything was said and done, the organization known as Inferno burn itself out.

Andino knew most of this story already, being a bit of a fanatic when it came to secrets, mysteries, and conspiracy theories. He argued it made him a better detective. Rush said it made him gullible. Nevertheless, Rush's friend recounted this story anyway.

"You know this all already, Ted," Rush's friend said at the end of his story. He was an old man. What little of his hair that was left was white. He had deep wrinkles. Yet his voice, despite being gruff, was loud, clear, and quick like a young man's.

"Yagami Tetsuo… how long has it been?" Rush asked skipping a rock across the water in the canal they were all standing beside. It was starting to creep into the later afternoon, the sky beginning to take on an orange hue.

"You didn't bring me outta my house ta ask that either, so get on with it," the old man quickly retorted.

"I'm not tryin' to ruin your retirement," Rush stated with a small laugh. "Just askin' an old man to share some old ramblings,"

"Old ramblings huh… don't know I've gotta anything like that," the old man said as he looked up to the sky. "Hmm. It was pretty big news to some people when that Inferno swallowed Inferno. Not much anyone could do, though, since no one knew what it looked like,"

"The Inferno,"

"Yeah. One fire looks like another, until you figure out how it started and how much damage it does,"

"I'm not much of a firefighter; more of a numbers guy,"

"I see," Yagami chuckled. "They say numbers never lie, but numbers can be made to say whatever you want them to say. I heard about a number disappearing weeks ago. No one can seem to figure out what happened,"

"Yeah? Wonder what happened there,"

"Math's the universal language. You should learn a little 'bout it,"

"Yeah, I think I heard that somewhere before,"

"Start with learning subtraction. You take one number from another number and you get a smaller number,"

"Heh, you really are rambling now. You should get along home now, Yagami,"

"You're still a brat, Ted. Take care of that kid of yours there. He's the sort that seems like he'd get his nose into somethin' he shouldn't,"

"Yeah, I know it," Rush said as he started to walk back up the embankment. "Let's go, Andino,"

"Just who is that guy?" Andino asked as he and Rush got back to the road.

"Yagami Tetsuo, former enforcer of the Bai Lan syndicate,"

"Wait, you just happen to know a member of a syndicate?"

"Former member of a syndicate; was one of my early cases with the CIA. He cut a deal and traded some information with us on Inferno before he retired from Bai Lan,"

"Got it. SO, was any of that babble any help?"

"You got a lot to learn, Andino…"

"I guess so…"

"It's all about the numbers,"

"I thought Inferno was wiped out?"

"Just cause the organization was finished off, doesn't mean the people just disappeared. Amy Sanuzaki was a Number,"

"W-wait, we knew she was an assassin with Inferno, but a Number?"

"That means the chances of her carelessly getting hit by a car are pretty much shot. The only person who could've killed her then is another Number,"

"So that means we really are digging back into Inferno, huh?"

"No, we're done,"

"Oh, I see… wait, we're done? But all we've found out is an assassin's on the loose,"

"We already knew there was an assassin on the loose. Former Inferno assassins killing each other aren't our concern though. This is a problem for the Japanese to solve themselves. Since it doesn't look like Sanuzaki was targeting anyone, this is regular police matter. Get everything together when we get back,"

"Right boss,"

The duo returned to base. While Andino set about preparing the paperwork as ordered by Rush, Rush himself more or less called it a night and set out on his own.

Even though he told Andino that the case was over for them, it was still very much on his mind. Rush was not the type to leave things like this unfinished. He hardly thought it was possible for the local Okinawa police to, much less be interested in, trying to apprehend an assassin of the caliber of the Numbers. They were supposedly the most polished and ruthless killers around. Given the month's head start the killer seemed to have had now, it made little sense that whoever was even stayed in Okinawa once the job was done. Their tracks were covered with great precisions, and what few tracks weren't covered were likely ice cold by now.

Knowing all that still, Rush wasn't apt to give up. He knew that CIA headquarters would likely reassign them to a new case soon enough. The US didn't have much interest in tracking down the remnants of Inferno anyway. They cut secret deals with the likes of Bai Lan for information to identify operational details about Inferno, and the names of the higher-ups. However, triggermen such as the Numbers were often more famous by codename, even within the top ranks of the organization, than they were by their real name. Amy's name was simply one they managed to get after very meticulous research and follow up over the course of several years, all in the hopes that she would lead to the big fish of Phantom or Inferno.

Even so, unless a suspect confessed it was all but impossible to pin anything now. The Numbers, as well as Phantom and Inferno, wore masks within the organization. A few former members of the syndicate they did manage to capture verified as much. Moreover the only people who did likely know the real identities of Phantom and Inferno, the leadership of the syndicate, were all killed by Inferno the assassin in that final dustup. That information was corroborated by captured members of the syndicate, as well as members of other syndicates, including Bai Lan.

Amy Sanuzaki was a key domino that could have toppled several others. There was still a lot of confusion and suspicion regarding the Inferno organization, primarily who in the levers of power was affiliated with them. Amy could have helped connect some of those dots, but she was dead now.

That was what was the most puzzling part; why now? What was different now? Inferno's collapse was years ago at this point. If one Number held a grudge or any ill will towards Amy from before, why wait until now to do something about it? Had Amy done something to set someone off now? Was something larger about to happen?

The only thing that immediately came to mind for Rush was the mess in Russia.

On Christmas Day last December a group of political dissidents declared their intent to dissolve the existing political structure of Russia and replace it with one they deemed more suitable for the people. They leaked over the internet thousands of pages of secret files kept by not only the existing administration, but prior administrations and ruling authorities dating back to before the Bolshevik Revolution. Calling their movement the New December Revolution, these dissidents simultaneously launched operations all over Russia to gain control of key government and military facilities.

No government is likely to quietly back down in the face of dissidents, and the Russian Federation is probably among the least likely of these. They tried to exercise strict control over media and communication both externally and internally. It was such that for several days the rest of the world was hardly aware that anything had happened in Russia.

Despite facing slim odds and fledgling numbers, the timing of the revolution helped the revolutionaries persist. Their ranks quickly grew as the atrocities and secrets of the ruling authority were made public. The idea that the nation's very history had been distorted for a century was angering. These sentiments were enhanced by the reality many faced of low wages, little food, and lack of opportunity. Workers joined the revolution, feeling that they had no stake and no hope in the existing system. Even some factions of the military begin to join the revolution.

It's been close to six months now and no one outside the country knows for sure what's going on. Rush has seen some CIA satellite photos, but they can only reveal so much without proper context. There were no CIA, or even American assets in general, on the ground in Russia now. Everyone got out after the start of the New Year when it was clear that things would really start to get hairy. The UN and other international bodies could only generate rough estimates, but the death toll is already thought to be in the dozens of thousands. Some reports even allege that the president and prime minister both fled the country two months into the mess.

In short, Russia at the moment is a mess. For a nation as large as it is and as influential as it is on the world stage, it becomes easy to see how events there could potentially spill over into other nations and breed other problems. Of course, Rush reasoned, that was all baseless conjecture at this point. Inferno had at one point managed to establish ties in Russia. It was even a popular rumor that the Numbers received the bulk of their training in Russia with ex-KGB types.

Even more reason there that the Russian connection was tempting, but went nowhere in answering why this all spilled over to Japan, to Okinawa, and why a Number would be out to kill another number. Was it a grudge? Were the remnants of Inferno looking to reconstitute itself? Gangs going through the same process tend to make elimination of members of the old gang a rite of passage. It could be that the chaos in Russia was proving an opening for some old faction of Inferno to build a new organization around itself.

That was Rush's working theory for now as the sun continued to creep below the horizon and night started to fall on the city. He decided he'd stop and get something to eat before heading to his hotel for the night.

"Welcome! Please have a seat where you like," Anastasia said pleasantly as the door opened. She stood by one of the half dozen circular tables in this shop. By way of her greeting, and of her attire – a dark green pleated skirt a few inches above knee length, a similar colored short sleeve blouse with puffy shoulders, white necktie, white stockings, green shoes, and a green beret – it was apparent she was working at this restaurant.

Rush didn't immediately recognize the young woman. As she brought him his coffee he did note in his mind that he saw her at the school, and confirmed as much with her. It didn't mean much, just a coincidental meeting.

He did get what he wanted when he stopped by the archery club earlier in the day. He prodded Anastasia concerning what she knew Amy. As she told him, she knew little of Amy. She recounted the circumstances of their meeting in exact detail to Rush as he in turn listened and made mental notes. By the end of his meal he was disappointed, but not surprised, to have found nothing of interest in what Anastasia said, aside from the reconfirmation of what he already knew concerning how great an actor a professional assassin could be. The fact that Anastasia seemed to have no idea that anything was off about Amy was none too surprising.

Now that was that. He hadn't managed any new ideas or any leads. But, most importantly for his job, there didn't seem to be anything to say that this incident would have an effect on the States. It wasn't a completely case closed, but it was for the time being a case sitting in a drawer in Rush's office. Rush never let a case just disappear into the ether. The file would remain in his bottom drawer of his desk, him occasionally pulling it out and looking it over again, until it was solved or a new lead came in. How long that might take was anyone's guess, but for now Rush had to move on to other work.


End file.
